The present invention relates to guns, including guns for use in the sport of paintball.
Conventional firearms have a firing mechanism to fire a projectile and a barrel to direct the projectile in a desired direction. Guns are made for numerous purposes and include many designs, for example, rifles, shot guns, and hand guns. Guns are designed to use many different mechanisms for firing a projectile. For example, one type of gun is dependant on having a propellant combined with the projectile. In this type of gun, the firing mechanism detonates the propellant contained in the projectile, which launches the projectile along the barrel. This type includes shot guns, which fire cartridges comprised of shot packaged with explosive material, and conventional rifles, machine guns, and handguns, which shoot bullets comprised of a unitary slug packaged with explosive material in a casing.
Another method of firing a projectile uses a propulsion source separate from the projectile, such as compressed gas, including air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and others. Examples of such guns include, air riffles, BB guns, and paintball guns or xe2x80x9cmarkers.xe2x80x9d These guns either include a pump for compressing ambient air or are adapted to receive compressed air from a source, such as a compressed gas cartridge or gas cylinder. Conventional paintball guns rely on such cartridges or gas cylinders for supplying compressed gas, including air, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
The introduction of debris into the firing mechanism or barrel of any firearm can affect the ability of the firearm to fire a projectile and affect the accuracy of the shot. For example, debris can jam the firing mechanism or debris can deflect or obstruct the path of a projectile within the barrel.
In the case of paintball guns, the projectile is a paintball, which is a volume of paint encased in a spherical shell comprised of a breakable casing. The paintball is designed to explode upon impact against an intended target, but occasionally paintballs inadvertently break prematurely prior to impact, and can even burst while loading or firing within the paintball gun. Paint residue from an exploded paintball remaining inside the paintball gun typically inhibits the trajectory and speed of later-fired paintballs and can even jam the paintball gun. If a paintball gun is able to continue firing after an inadvertent paintball bursts within the paintball gun, it is not always immediately apparent that paint residue resides in the paintball gun. The failure to realize that paint residue remains within the paintgun including the paintgun barrel, can result in misfired or misdirected shots until the residue is removed from the paintgun.
As a propellant, conventional paintguns employ compressed gas, which often remains in a partially liquid state, for example, in the case of carbon dioxide. In many paintball guns, a gas cylinder is attached to the gun in a substantially horizontal position. In this position, liquid compressed gas can flow into the gun""s firing mechanism. Even when the compressed gas cylinder is not configured in a horizontal position with respect to the paintball gun, liquified gas can inadvertently enter the firing mechanism during game play when the paintball gun is being carried in various positions. Because compressed gas in a liquid state occupies a smaller volume than when it is in a gas state, the entry of liquified gas into the firing mechanism (known as xe2x80x9cgoing liquidxe2x80x9d) can have the undesired effect of allowing too much gas into the gun""s expansion chamber, resulting in a gun that fires under excessive pressure, sometimes referred to as a xe2x80x9chotxe2x80x9d gun. A hot gun is more likely to prematurely rupture a paintball and can also injure a participant who is hit with a paintball traveling at excessive speed.
One method used to inhibit the entry of liquified gas into the firing mechanism of a paintball gun is to provide an expansion chamber in communication between the compressed gas source and the firing mechanism. Such an expansion chamber provides a volume within which liquified gas can evaporate prior to entering the paintball gun, particularly the firing mechanism. Commonly, such expansion chambers are equipped with a plurality of baffles to further inhibit the passage of liquified gas into the firing mechanism. Even with a gun suited with an expansion chamber, liquified gas can enter the firing mechanism of a paintball gun. For example, during game play, the paintball gun may be held in a downward position with the expansion chamber below the gas cylinder, allowing gravity to fill the expansion chamber with liquified gas. Accordingly, it is desirable to ascertain whether liquid occupies the expansion chamber before firing the paintball gun.
The present invention solves the foregoing and other problems in the art and satisfies the industry demands.
It is an object of the invention to provide a barrel for a gun having a portion comprising a substantially transparent material. The barrel can be made of any substantially transparent material, but in one embodiment the material is a polycarbonate. Other suitable materials for the barrel include glass, such as tempered glass.
In another aspect of the invention, the barrel is coated with a substantially transparent material to add hardness, which provides scratch resistance, and prevents deterioration of the polycarbinate from the absorption of dyes from paintballs and solvents used to clean the gun.
In another aspect of the invention, a barrel assembly is constructed by attaching the barrel to a barrel cage comprised of a stiff material, for example, metal such as aluminum. The barrel cage provides protection to the barrel and also creates a desirable appearance.
In another aspect of the invention, an expansion chamber is provided having a housing with a portion comprising a substantially transparent material. The expansion chamber is comprised of a base, a cover, and a housing between the base and the cover. The expansion chamber includes an inlet for accepting compressed gas and an outlet for discharging compressed gas.
In another aspect of the invention, the expansion chamber housing is comprised of a polycarbonate. In another aspect of the invention, the housing is comprised of glass, specifically, tempered glass. In yet a further aspect of the invention, the housing is coated with a substantially transparent material to reduce scratching and absorption of pressurized gas into the transparent material.
In another aspect of the invention, the housing is partially enclosed within a cage to provide additional burst protection and stiffness to the expansion chamber.
In another aspect of the invention, a plurality of baffles is disposed within the housing.
The foregoing features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying figures.